Else Ware Watercolor Paper

(C) 2026 Dale DiMauro

 

At times, drawing and painting are one and the same, to me. I paint a landscape or figure in this sketchbook pretty much everyday. It is amazing how one can progress in a relatively short period of time. 

Actually, what I really do is experiment with pigments that I have learned about or try new combinations. These pigments then find themselves eventually, included in my paintings. Instead of making little swatches which many artists do, I turn them into landscapes such as these.

The texture of this lovely watercolor paper(Elseware) allows for expressive painterly affects. This blank- paged little booklet was purchased from my local co-op(Brattleboro, VT co-op).

Many of these little landscapes were painted in less than five minutes, often late at night.

West River Trail

 

(C) 2026 Dale DiMauro

Not only are we experiencing the time change today, but the fall colors and natural light are moving rapidly across the landscape. Thus, one must paint rapidly to capture the landscape as one experiences it outside. While painting this it felt a bit out of control as I was working towards a southern exposure with sunglasses on which skewed the colors a little bit. 

As I was painting along an old rail bed full of dog walkers, joggers and strollers, etc., my activity drew many onlookers as one might imagine. 

Regardless, the colors and brushstrokes convey a positive energy on the paper which I really like. The rich browns and transparent blues set the tone for the scene. I do like to leave some area of the paper white as it provides another dimension to the layers of wash.

I have come to prefer this winsor newton watercolor block for painting in the elements(10" x 14").

Full disclosure - I have updated my operating system to the most recent version and have much to learn on the fly. This version is supposed to have greater security measures. However, there is a lot of AI influence with many of the options shut off, but there are many other features to fully comprehend.

Mt. Wantastiquet

(C) 2026 Dale DiMauro

 

Boy, the sun fades fast at the end of the day, these days. This was painted shortly after 4PM today. It was a glorious day with the radiant glow of the fall foliage in the air and across the water. I even experienced a motorized hang glider pass high up in the sky right before my eyes. This was all happening in front of Wantastiquet Mountain, in Brattleboro, VT.

It is not easy to capture the full range of color that the natural world demands from my watercolor palette but I do the best I can. The distant hill with the russet colored foliage sprinkled with evergreen spikes has been very present with the recent absence of rain.

The water had a lot of brown tinges to it projecting from the hillside. However, I don't know if I captured that as much as I would like.

I painted this scene with just two brushes - a large flat brush and a rigger. 

Keba: Artmate

Stretching watercolor paper can be a challenge. Many artists stay away from having to stretch paper, period. However, I lean towards using the less heavier papers (ie. 140 lb variety). These usually require stretching the paper or using watercolor blocks. The larger blocks I find tend to separate in the corners.

Through trial and error I have adopted using the Kebaartmate. I first purchased a full sheet paper stretcher which is reliable and great but awkward to maneuver. Recently, as the beneficiary of a gift card I earned ,I bought a half sheet paper stretcher. Both paper stretchers come from a company based in Sweden. This paper stretcher was on backorder for a long time.

However, since this product arrived earlier this week I am enjoying this paper stretcher immensely. It reliably stretches the paper as tight as a drum. Of course, it takes some practice and judgement to master the process. 

One of the benefits of using a paper stretcher is that you can stretch all kinds of different papers with a variety of surfaces, too(rough, cold press, soft press, hot press etc.). Also, I hope this paper stretcher will encourage me to paint on a larger scale more frequently, outside. Plus, I think with practice this experience will push me to paint full sheet watercolors more intuitively.

In addition, some of the thicker papers are very pricey which I feel guilty to use. I often feel like I don't want to waste a fancy sheet of paper and this approach in the past has prevented me from using those sheets.

 

Fabriano Postcards

(C) 2026 Dale DiMauro

 

With this lovely fall color it is a great time to paint outside, assuming you can squeeze in some time before the rains move in. Also, in Vermont, this is the time of year with many craft shows and outdoor festivals.

I picked up this Fabriano watercolour pad at a local bookstore. It is always good to try new materials and see what I can come up with. Recently, I have been experimenting with Fabriano watercolor paper as it a great surface to lift color from.

Landscape painting is a relaxing thing to do either outside or before going to bed. Yesterday, I actually purchased a used book on the Hudson River Painters for $2.00 near the site of the Newfane Heritage Festival, in Newfane, VT. Inspiration can emerge from all sorts of experiences.

This Mornings Painting.....

(C) 2026 Dale DiMauro

This morning I joined The Brush & Palette Painters, who meet at the Gibson-Aiken Building in downtown Brattleboro, VT. Most people paint in watercolor even though on occasion some people use gouache or acrylic, etc.

Regardless, it is a varied and friendly group. 

The inspiration for this watercolor was a late summer trip to Krane's beach, in Ipswich, MA. The whole time we were there I kept thinking I was in Maine - it has a lot of coastal qualities found in both states.

I keep experimenting with different approaches to the sky. Here, I used a atomizer to bleed the sky color down into the distant atmosphere. These were qualities experienced when we walked toward the beach.

 

This is Summer......

 

(C) 2026 Dale DiMauro

The colors of summer can be elusive. While autumn has it's fall colors and winter has it's snow, the colors of summer can be challenging to pin down. 

The verdant greens of summer differ from the yellow-greens of spring. They are more mature, with a quiet presence, soon altered by the reds and russets of late summer. However, the energy of the water in our local ponds and lakes really comes to life at this time of year. It seems to partner well with the lush growth all around us.

These are the qualities I see in this watercolor. They are a marker of the passing of time. More important, they get us outside to enjoy the longest days of the year.

Sap Green & Sepia

 

(C) 2026 Dale DiMauro

Recently, I was reading an article on watercolor painting where the author only used sap green and sepia to mix all her greens. These two pigments provide a rich and lively green which can be cooled or warmed with ultramarine blue or burnt sienna, if need be. 

On occasion I like to use Phthalo blue with burnt sienna or Prussian blue with new gamboge for a lively green. So I figured I would give this sap green and sepia combination a shot and this is what I came up with.

The field areas were painted with some yellow ochre but the tree foliage was painted with this sap green/ sepia pairing.  

It does seem to be a useful combination to convey the foliage of summer. It is a nice contrast with the spare and dried color of the fields. The absence of color where the water is conveys a calm, serene quality to the landscape.

Scott Farm

(C) 2026 Dale DiMauro

 

Often I go plein air painting by myself. However, I did paint outside, recently, with a group from the Saxton's River Art Group up at Scott Farm in Dummerston, VT. It truly felt like the end of summer with numerous seasonal changes in the air.

I was pressed for time but did what I could in an hour or so. This stark white farm building, with a bit of history to it, stood out amongst the lush hillside. The goldenrod was in peak bloom lighting up the ground plane in the outlaying fields.

The Scott Farm is such a memorable landscape with the Vermont hillside, collection of stonewall projects and orchards of apple trees. Where is there not a subject to paint?

Green River(VT) Swimming Hole

(C) 2026 Dale DiMauro

 

Swimming holes are challenging to paint outside. The light and shadows are so dramatic yet changing rapidly. The Green River, in Guilford, VT, with it's historic covered bridge offers diverse subject matter.

One of the challenges to painting outside is determining what to focus on. Usually I find a subject matter which I can easily embrace. On this day I wasn't so set on my subject, on the other hand how could I go wrong? There are so many beautiful sights. 

This watercolor was painted on Labor Day and boy was it a gorgeous day! I focused on the right side of the falls to simplify the composition. I do like the transparency of the water and the energy coming off the mass of overall green foliage. 

It is tricky in watercolor to not overdo it. I was beginning to cramp from an awkward painting location and needed to stop. So this was it.

Art-In-the-Park(Keene, NH)

(C) 2026 Photograph Dale DiMauro

This year's Art-in-the-Park in Keene, NH, was a lovely event. It ran this past Saturday & Sunday, just prior to Labor Day. My wife and I attended on Saturday. The weather was great and there was quite a flow of people at the event.

We saw and met numerous artists and vendors at the event, many we knew from prior years and others we know from a different context. For example, there were artists from the Saxton's River Art Group(VT), students from Keene High School and other artists from an art critique group I attended a while back.

One artist who paints with watercolor among other media mentioned she uses aquabord which is sold as a ready to hang in of itself panel. These panels are just starting to work there way on to the market, but are real handy for plein air painters. They even come with a mounting clip and hangar on the back. From the side angle they appear to be panels mounted on a wood frame.

Other artists come up with clever ideas which are quite inspiring. One woman developed a cover(with art on it) for these popular glass yogurt jars that many seem to end up with when purchasing certain yogurts.

Overall, the event seems to keep on growing. Even the National Park Service was present with a booth representing Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park(NH). It makes me consider putting a booth together for next year. However, it is a lot of work and the weather needs to cooperate.

The Maine Coast

(C) 2026 Dale DiMauro

 

The Maine coast is a distinctive landscape. The smell of the sea life with the crashing water and rocky shoreline is unmistakeable.

I painted this watercolor over two sessions. It is a sort of postcard, as I didn't get to visit Maine this year. I know many other people who couldn't afford to go to Maine this year, too.

The original inspiration was as a cloud study as the sky is so varied. However, the water and rocks are really captivating. Even the shadows within the rocks are descriptive of the the overall shoreline and the life that is hanging on, in the pools and eddy's of the changing tides.

The drifts of mist coming off the ocean is a quality I only attribute to watercolor. The importance of using a mister, and when, is of great importance, here.

Today's Plein Air

(C) 2026 Dale DiMauro

 

Painting outside can be lovely at this time of year as the air becomes crisper and some color begins to emerge. Regardless, you have to move along as the light changes rapidly.

It is important to utilize soft and hard edges when possible. You can recognize some soft edges in the sky where the color dissolves into the clouds. These are some magical touches if you capture these moments. These gradations add much to your picture and can guide you in not overworking your scene.

After my dental appointment yesterday, I squeezed in this watercolor of a local scene. The colors were vivid, the air quality was great and I was able to perch under a lovely shade tree.

One of the Protesters

(C) 2026 Dale DiMauro

 

There have been many protests in the last year and for good reason. We definitely no longer are the name we say we are. The United States, is an inaccurate name for what we used to be. I am not saying we will not rebound, but it certainly seems like a long time in the making.

This protester seems to be complaining about the cold as well as the state of Washington, DC. However, like many, at least he got outside, to join the horde of displeased people.

When capturing the human figure it seems best to just put down on paper your washes and move on. Otherwise, it is too easy to go back and overwork the image. Over time, I have learned to appreciate the freshness of the application of washes in watercolor. 

This guy had a fanny pack on which blended in with his clothes.

One-Wash Watercolor

(C) 2026 Dale DiMauro

Some of the best watercolors are done quickly, with little time wasted. Usually, with a very limited palette.

I am not saying this is a great watercolor but it was done in no time at all. Also, it was painted in one wash - suggesting the impact to the viewer can be significant. Personally, I like the blending of the pigments at the base of the wash - there is a little 'blurry' quality where some isolated vegetation rests. The other quality which stands out - is the lack of temperature - this picture does not feel particularly warm or cool, simply neutral.

This was painted with just two pigments: sepia and quinacridone gold. It has a 'sepia ' feel to it as if it was from a historical document. The stark simplicity of the composition and treatment of the subject are quite striking. It is almost memorable just for the presentation of this wash.

 

Red into Blue

(C) 2026 Dale DiMauro

 

Adding the color red into your sky can transform your landscape painting. It gives you this brownish gray mood which sets the tone for your scene. I forgot how effective this is when I accidentally dropped some cadmium red into my ultramarine blue sky. Also, the red can play off the red you have in your landscape, whether it is a burnt sienna or Indian red, etc.

I find this approach may give your watercolor a British or historical feel.

This is another example of how important it is to constantly experiment with your mark -making, pigment usage and paper selection. For example, I try every kind of paper I can find. Also, I use all the different surfaces from rough, hot press, soft press, cold press to illustration board.

Latest Plein Air

(C) 2026 Dale DiMauro

 

After all this rain, humidity and cloudy days, it is great to get outside and paint. When it is hot and humid out I find the early evening the best time to paint. If you are lucky you can capture the setting sun in one form or another.

This local park is a nice short walk from my house, yet full of potential subject matter. There is usually diverse groups of people in the park making for some interesting interactions.

This mature evergreen on the edge of the field has a distinctive branch structure which frames the open space nicely. Also, it attracts a lot of bird species.

Today...........A Still Life

(C) 2026 Dale DiMauro

Charles Reid(1937-2019) had a great way of capturing flower compositions without overdoing it. I admire all his work, but particularly his floral pictures. He left much of the paper white - unpainted, to great affect.

This is a different subject matter for me, although not all that different in some regards. In my life I have sketched, drawn or painted many plants. The texture of this Baohong watercolor paper I find intriguing. Lots of saturated color in segregated areas.

This watercolor gives me a lot to think about before painting my next flower composition. I don't want to spend hours on end painting flowers, not that I did in this case. However, I like the freshness of a few washes done rapidly with some precision.

 

This Evening's Plein Air

(C) 2026 Dale DiMauro

 

A few years ago I was given ten stunning daylily plants from Olallie Daylily Gardens in Newfane, VT. In normal times I would not see them bloom as mid-July is usually vacation time. Obviously, this year, with the cost of living outrageously out of control, I was home to see the flowers in bloom.

This watercolor has a Winslow Homer(1836 - 1910) look to it, consciously or not. I painted one of my daylilies in bloom but didn't want to spend a lot of time fussing with the background, particularly as the light was already low. Instead, I dropped in a landscape, which gave the flower a greater presence with it's upward perspective. Some daylilies, to me, have a tropical look, which this landscape embodies.

I painted this watercolor this evening as the sun was setting. The bugs got the better of me in the end.

(C) 2026 Dale DiMauro

My wife and I often usher shows at the Colonial Theater in Keene, New Hampshire. Through the years we have seen plays, comedians, musical acts and community performances live. Along the way we have met many people in the theater or in working these shows.

This watercolor depicts the landscape adjacent to the Showroom which the Colonial Theater opened shortly after COVID-19 passed. Whenever I park in this lot, the late day light and setting sun draw my attention.

It feels good to paint buildings in the landscape. Something about the way buildings shape and define spaces make the landscape compelling. When you add in the shadows, cast by these buildings, there is another layer of life that reveals itself.